Rovers Dack with a bang
TONY MOWBRAY celebrated his 600th game as a manager with victory – and admitted his relief at keeping match-winner Bradley Dack off the market.
Dack was Blackburn’s top scorer last season with a tally of 18 and has started this season by banging in four goals. The striker’s neat finish here earned Blackburn their first victory since returning to the Championship – against a Hull side who were worryingly poor.
A section of a dispirited home crowd – alarmingly low at just over 12,000 – booed their team off the pitch, while Blackburn celebrated.
Mowbray (above) said: “Bradley cost £750,000 and I’d like to think we would get a few more quid if he was on the market at the moment – but he is not on the market.
“When I was at Coventry, we played Gillingham and this little tubby kid (Dack) was fighting, scrapping and tackling and eventually scored. He stuck in my mind.
“He is everything I hoped he would be. He is like a kid in the playground.”
Hull boss Nigel Adkins seemed to single out centre back Angus Macdonald, who failed to stop Dack, for criticism. The Tigers boss said: “We gave a poor goal away. The centre-half has got to deal with that. We didn’t bring the quality to the forefront.”
Blackburn had signalled their intent early on, with Adam Armstrong and Dack causing problems.
Hull goalkeeper David Marshall saved his side a couple of times though, stopping shots from Armstrong and Dack.
Mowbray’s men were looking lively but a nasty clash of heads, midway through the first half, led to a lull. Kasey Palmer and Stephen Kingsley were the players involved in the accidental incident – ending in the latter having to be substituted off.
The visitors refound their energy though and managed to snatch the lead before half-time.
The goal came when Elliott Bennett fired in a cross from the right and Dack turned the ball in.
There was a boost for Hull when the scorer was later forced off with injury – with former Tigers striker Danny Graham replacing him.
Blackburn spurned a golden chance in the 63rd minute though, as Armstrong mishit from close range after Graham teed him up.
And an even better opportunity went begging soon afterwards as Bennett smashed a shot wide.
Marshall rescued Hull again in the 80th minute when he palmed out Graham’s point-blank header.
Jordy de Wijs’s header nearly punished Blackburn at the death but David Raya produced a stunning save.
It would have been a travesty if Blackburn had not won, though.